Ear pointing healing difficulties

ear-pointing-problems-1.jpg

A few months ago Lostetrnl had both ears pointed, and you can see them above freshly sutured. Unfortunately, unlike most of the ear pointing I’ve posted here, his ears strongly resisted changing shape, and his cartilage forced itself into its original configuration as best it could and effectively “opened up”. At two months, pictured below, his ears are definitely in need of a touch-up, with the left one being especially difficult.

EDIT:  I’m told that the left ear was in an accident which caused some of the sutures to rip out, allowing the ear to open even more than the right one did… Hopefully I’ll be back on IAM soon so I can do more follow-up on posts so I don’t have to insert edits!

I don’t have any reason to believe the practitioner made a mistake on how this was done, so I’m not mentioning that here, but I should say that this is an artist that’s done lots of ear pointing with great results in a vast majority — people should remember that things can always go wrong even in the best of situations!

ear-pointing-problems-2.jpg

66 thoughts on “Ear pointing healing difficulties

  1. The hair next to the fresh wounds and dried blood is squicking me out more than anything.

    But having said that, ow. I can almost see the sides of the ears pulling apart.

  2. The hair next to the fresh wounds and dried blood is squicking me out more than anything.

    But having said that, ow. I can almost see the sides of the ears pulling apart.

  3. The hair next to the fresh wounds and dried blood is squicking me out more than anything.

    But having said that, ow. I can almost see the sides of the ears pulling apart.

  4. am i wrong in thinking that when
    someone gets their ears pointed that
    they’re left with almost a ‘pocket’
    behind the pointing that would fill
    up with the utmost horrible amount of
    scabby grossness?

  5. am i wrong in thinking that when
    someone gets their ears pointed that
    they’re left with almost a ‘pocket’
    behind the pointing that would fill
    up with the utmost horrible amount of
    scabby grossness?

  6. am i wrong in thinking that when
    someone gets their ears pointed that
    they’re left with almost a ‘pocket’
    behind the pointing that would fill
    up with the utmost horrible amount of
    scabby grossness?

  7. I dont know but the before pictures dont look too far off from the after pictures. There seems to be alot of curve (not sure how to explain this) still along the back of the ear just under where the points are. Looks more like pointed tips added onto the ear then an ear pointing. Could be that I havent actually seen many ear pointings and this is what most look like? How long till he can get them fixed?

  8. I dont know but the before pictures dont look too far off from the after pictures. There seems to be alot of curve (not sure how to explain this) still along the back of the ear just under where the points are. Looks more like pointed tips added onto the ear then an ear pointing. Could be that I havent actually seen many ear pointings and this is what most look like? How long till he can get them fixed?

  9. I dont know but the before pictures dont look too far off from the after pictures. There seems to be alot of curve (not sure how to explain this) still along the back of the ear just under where the points are. Looks more like pointed tips added onto the ear then an ear pointing. Could be that I havent actually seen many ear pointings and this is what most look like? How long till he can get them fixed?

  10. wow…poor guy…i was thinking of pointing my ears awhile back, but was worried about the success rate…is this something that can be easily fixed?

  11. wow…poor guy…i was thinking of pointing my ears awhile back, but was worried about the success rate…is this something that can be easily fixed?

  12. wow…poor guy…i was thinking of pointing my ears awhile back, but was worried about the success rate…is this something that can be easily fixed?

  13. What is the recommended cleaning procedure after having your ear pointed? Would you use a peri bottle or something of the sort along with maybe some very small q-tips or are you supposed to leave them crunchy?

  14. What is the recommended cleaning procedure after having your ear pointed? Would you use a peri bottle or something of the sort along with maybe some very small q-tips or are you supposed to leave them crunchy?

  15. What is the recommended cleaning procedure after having your ear pointed? Would you use a peri bottle or something of the sort along with maybe some very small q-tips or are you supposed to leave them crunchy?

  16. I appreciate that Shannon left my name out of the post, but i’m not ashamed about doing the work and i don’t want people to think i’m hiding from this, nor trying to justify a mistake.

    This client drove came up for his appointment with a friend who also got work the same day. As soon as i looked at his ears i warned him not only how difficult they’d be to do the work, but how difficult they’d be to heal. The outer conch area was not only tiny, but EXTREMELY rigid and jutted outward. We went over the options as i played with his ear for an extended period of time and he decided he still wanted to go forth and try it out.

    No matter how much cartilage was removed from the outer conch it still only added minimal tension loss when pulling the sides together, so i taped them as tightly as i could over the sutures to keep tension off of them to help quicken the tissue bonding. He was very aware, before and after we did the work, how difficult it’d be to heal them, but really wanted to give it a go, even if he’d be left with only a small point.

    I monitored his healing as closely as i could by email, since he lived quite a distance from me, and gave him as much advice as i could to help keep the tissue together. With what i had to work with, i’m actually very happy with the result of the right ear, but unfortunately he had an accident that tore several of the sutures from the left ear during the healing, which pretty much ended any chance of them healing properly afterward.

    Not only can this ear be fixed (probably more easily now than originally), but if he’d like, i offered to extend the point on his right ear, even, at no cost, but he’s happy with the outcome of that one.

    I do have a few qualms about these postings, even though of course it’s important for people to understand the risks of possible complications with modification procedures. I wish more people would submit to me the great healed work i’ve done, because it does get discouraging to see mostly pictures of problematic procedures without the balance. I can think of several dozens of works i’ve done in the past year that healed perfectly and beautifully, but even after posting both privately as well as publicly on my IAM page asking if people would send me healed photos of them, i received very few. Boo.

  17. I appreciate that Shannon left my name out of the post, but i’m not ashamed about doing the work and i don’t want people to think i’m hiding from this, nor trying to justify a mistake.

    This client drove came up for his appointment with a friend who also got work the same day. As soon as i looked at his ears i warned him not only how difficult they’d be to do the work, but how difficult they’d be to heal. The outer conch area was not only tiny, but EXTREMELY rigid and jutted outward. We went over the options as i played with his ear for an extended period of time and he decided he still wanted to go forth and try it out.

    No matter how much cartilage was removed from the outer conch it still only added minimal tension loss when pulling the sides together, so i taped them as tightly as i could over the sutures to keep tension off of them to help quicken the tissue bonding. He was very aware, before and after we did the work, how difficult it’d be to heal them, but really wanted to give it a go, even if he’d be left with only a small point.

    I monitored his healing as closely as i could by email, since he lived quite a distance from me, and gave him as much advice as i could to help keep the tissue together. With what i had to work with, i’m actually very happy with the result of the right ear, but unfortunately he had an accident that tore several of the sutures from the left ear during the healing, which pretty much ended any chance of them healing properly afterward.

    Not only can this ear be fixed (probably more easily now than originally), but if he’d like, i offered to extend the point on his right ear, even, at no cost, but he’s happy with the outcome of that one.

    I do have a few qualms about these postings, even though of course it’s important for people to understand the risks of possible complications with modification procedures. I wish more people would submit to me the great healed work i’ve done, because it does get discouraging to see mostly pictures of problematic procedures without the balance. I can think of several dozens of works i’ve done in the past year that healed perfectly and beautifully, but even after posting both privately as well as publicly on my IAM page asking if people would send me healed photos of them, i received very few. Boo.

  18. I appreciate that Shannon left my name out of the post, but i’m not ashamed about doing the work and i don’t want people to think i’m hiding from this, nor trying to justify a mistake.

    This client drove came up for his appointment with a friend who also got work the same day. As soon as i looked at his ears i warned him not only how difficult they’d be to do the work, but how difficult they’d be to heal. The outer conch area was not only tiny, but EXTREMELY rigid and jutted outward. We went over the options as i played with his ear for an extended period of time and he decided he still wanted to go forth and try it out.

    No matter how much cartilage was removed from the outer conch it still only added minimal tension loss when pulling the sides together, so i taped them as tightly as i could over the sutures to keep tension off of them to help quicken the tissue bonding. He was very aware, before and after we did the work, how difficult it’d be to heal them, but really wanted to give it a go, even if he’d be left with only a small point.

    I monitored his healing as closely as i could by email, since he lived quite a distance from me, and gave him as much advice as i could to help keep the tissue together. With what i had to work with, i’m actually very happy with the result of the right ear, but unfortunately he had an accident that tore several of the sutures from the left ear during the healing, which pretty much ended any chance of them healing properly afterward.

    Not only can this ear be fixed (probably more easily now than originally), but if he’d like, i offered to extend the point on his right ear, even, at no cost, but he’s happy with the outcome of that one.

    I do have a few qualms about these postings, even though of course it’s important for people to understand the risks of possible complications with modification procedures. I wish more people would submit to me the great healed work i’ve done, because it does get discouraging to see mostly pictures of problematic procedures without the balance. I can think of several dozens of works i’ve done in the past year that healed perfectly and beautifully, but even after posting both privately as well as publicly on my IAM page asking if people would send me healed photos of them, i received very few. Boo.

  19. That was very informative, xPureX. Just bending my ear a little bit gives me the squiglys and is uncomfortable. I probably wouldn’t be a candidate for this sort of thing because I have a narrow.. uh, upper conch, even if I think it looks kind of cool.

  20. That was very informative, xPureX. Just bending my ear a little bit gives me the squiglys and is uncomfortable. I probably wouldn’t be a candidate for this sort of thing because I have a narrow.. uh, upper conch, even if I think it looks kind of cool.

  21. That was very informative, xPureX. Just bending my ear a little bit gives me the squiglys and is uncomfortable. I probably wouldn’t be a candidate for this sort of thing because I have a narrow.. uh, upper conch, even if I think it looks kind of cool.

  22. For sure. I know my ears are VERY flexible. I feel like i could have the greatest looking points ever, but other people don’t have that same thinness to the cartilage. I explain the procedure and my anticipation of the outcome with everyone and if they understand that and want to give it a go…….honestly, worst case is we go back into them after they heal.

    nyne really wanted hers done while i was in Edmonton one year and after fiddling with them for awhile and explaining they weren’t gonna look the way she wanted, she opted not to do it and i was just fine with that.

  23. For sure. I know my ears are VERY flexible. I feel like i could have the greatest looking points ever, but other people don’t have that same thinness to the cartilage. I explain the procedure and my anticipation of the outcome with everyone and if they understand that and want to give it a go…….honestly, worst case is we go back into them after they heal.

    nyne really wanted hers done while i was in Edmonton one year and after fiddling with them for awhile and explaining they weren’t gonna look the way she wanted, she opted not to do it and i was just fine with that.

  24. For sure. I know my ears are VERY flexible. I feel like i could have the greatest looking points ever, but other people don’t have that same thinness to the cartilage. I explain the procedure and my anticipation of the outcome with everyone and if they understand that and want to give it a go…….honestly, worst case is we go back into them after they heal.

    nyne really wanted hers done while i was in Edmonton one year and after fiddling with them for awhile and explaining they weren’t gonna look the way she wanted, she opted not to do it and i was just fine with that.

  25. i’m not exactly informed about the procedure, but i feel this is on the lower end of the “didn’t work out” scale. at least his ear didn’t fall off! perhaps i’m being a bit too optimistic. i mean, at least it’s all still there so more can be cut away. try, try again 🙂

  26. i’m not exactly informed about the procedure, but i feel this is on the lower end of the “didn’t work out” scale. at least his ear didn’t fall off! perhaps i’m being a bit too optimistic. i mean, at least it’s all still there so more can be cut away. try, try again 🙂

  27. i’m not exactly informed about the procedure, but i feel this is on the lower end of the “didn’t work out” scale. at least his ear didn’t fall off! perhaps i’m being a bit too optimistic. i mean, at least it’s all still there so more can be cut away. try, try again 🙂

  28. jonnycore i was also wondering the same thing.

    its unfortunate that the left ear was in an accident

  29. jonnycore i was also wondering the same thing.

    its unfortunate that the left ear was in an accident

  30. jonnycore i was also wondering the same thing.

    its unfortunate that the left ear was in an accident

  31. i’ve seen alot of xpurex’s work…he’s really just fantastic at what he does…he was the artist i was initially considering for my ears, before i decided it wasn’t for me…with this type of work, its understandable that problems arise…if anything, this post just helped show a possible risk associated with the procedure-which helps make a more informed decision in my eyes…and his response showed that should something go wrong, he knows why, can fix it, and honors his work by not charging to repair a procedure if it goes astray…i think this post in its own way, was more informative than most…

  32. i’ve seen alot of xpurex’s work…he’s really just fantastic at what he does…he was the artist i was initially considering for my ears, before i decided it wasn’t for me…with this type of work, its understandable that problems arise…if anything, this post just helped show a possible risk associated with the procedure-which helps make a more informed decision in my eyes…and his response showed that should something go wrong, he knows why, can fix it, and honors his work by not charging to repair a procedure if it goes astray…i think this post in its own way, was more informative than most…

  33. i’ve seen alot of xpurex’s work…he’s really just fantastic at what he does…he was the artist i was initially considering for my ears, before i decided it wasn’t for me…with this type of work, its understandable that problems arise…if anything, this post just helped show a possible risk associated with the procedure-which helps make a more informed decision in my eyes…and his response showed that should something go wrong, he knows why, can fix it, and honors his work by not charging to repair a procedure if it goes astray…i think this post in its own way, was more informative than most…

  34. I was there for both the procedure and healing on this one. Brain pointed my ears too, and they turned out absolutely beautiful. Lostetrnl was warned that, due to his anatomy (unusually thick ear cartilage), he would likely need a touch up, because they would open up more than usual. Going into the procedure he was already planning to go back several months later.

    They *were* opening up a bit, when the aforementioned accident occurred: Lostetrnl works in a warehouse, and while loading a truck, a very heavy box fell, caught his ear, and bent it all the way down to his face. (He told me if was the worse pain he ever felt in his life, and I truly believe that.) After getting home, he had his mother (a retired nurse) look at it, and she just fucked it up way more. When he came to me for help, at least 6 sutures were torn out of the bottom, and it was covered in scabs so thick it was almost impossible to see what was going on. I cleaned it, removed the popped sutures, took pictures, and relayed info to Brian. He ended up coming back to me to maintain them twice a week until the scabbing was gone. I’m honestly astonished it turned out as good as it did! He was lucky he only ended up with an aesthetic issue.

  35. I was there for both the procedure and healing on this one. Brain pointed my ears too, and they turned out absolutely beautiful. Lostetrnl was warned that, due to his anatomy (unusually thick ear cartilage), he would likely need a touch up, because they would open up more than usual. Going into the procedure he was already planning to go back several months later.

    They *were* opening up a bit, when the aforementioned accident occurred: Lostetrnl works in a warehouse, and while loading a truck, a very heavy box fell, caught his ear, and bent it all the way down to his face. (He told me if was the worse pain he ever felt in his life, and I truly believe that.) After getting home, he had his mother (a retired nurse) look at it, and she just fucked it up way more. When he came to me for help, at least 6 sutures were torn out of the bottom, and it was covered in scabs so thick it was almost impossible to see what was going on. I cleaned it, removed the popped sutures, took pictures, and relayed info to Brian. He ended up coming back to me to maintain them twice a week until the scabbing was gone. I’m honestly astonished it turned out as good as it did! He was lucky he only ended up with an aesthetic issue.

  36. I was there for both the procedure and healing on this one. Brain pointed my ears too, and they turned out absolutely beautiful. Lostetrnl was warned that, due to his anatomy (unusually thick ear cartilage), he would likely need a touch up, because they would open up more than usual. Going into the procedure he was already planning to go back several months later.

    They *were* opening up a bit, when the aforementioned accident occurred: Lostetrnl works in a warehouse, and while loading a truck, a very heavy box fell, caught his ear, and bent it all the way down to his face. (He told me if was the worse pain he ever felt in his life, and I truly believe that.) After getting home, he had his mother (a retired nurse) look at it, and she just fucked it up way more. When he came to me for help, at least 6 sutures were torn out of the bottom, and it was covered in scabs so thick it was almost impossible to see what was going on. I cleaned it, removed the popped sutures, took pictures, and relayed info to Brian. He ended up coming back to me to maintain them twice a week until the scabbing was gone. I’m honestly astonished it turned out as good as it did! He was lucky he only ended up with an aesthetic issue.

  37. i know those pics, that’s me! and yes, brian was very wonderful and professional in all his work. we both knew and understood beforehand how big of a hassle and risk it was going to be to work with my ears, but it was a risk i was more than willing to take, and thus i greenlighted him to use any method or technique he taught would help my chances. given what he had to work with, in my extremely ‘tense’ ears, i’m more than happy with how the right ear turned out. All of that redness and such is gone from it, and it’s fine now. I need to put up newer 4month old pics of it now.. ^_^. as for the left ear, an accident at work, more specifically a 50lb patio table box fell right across that ear and ripped out the majority of the sutures when it was only 2 weeks old, while all but one of the remaining sutures ripped themselves out over the new two days afterwards. i am planning to have it reworked though, in the new few months i hope, and hopefully it will all go much smoother the second time around… ^_^

  38. i know those pics, that’s me! and yes, brian was very wonderful and professional in all his work. we both knew and understood beforehand how big of a hassle and risk it was going to be to work with my ears, but it was a risk i was more than willing to take, and thus i greenlighted him to use any method or technique he taught would help my chances. given what he had to work with, in my extremely ‘tense’ ears, i’m more than happy with how the right ear turned out. All of that redness and such is gone from it, and it’s fine now. I need to put up newer 4month old pics of it now.. ^_^. as for the left ear, an accident at work, more specifically a 50lb patio table box fell right across that ear and ripped out the majority of the sutures when it was only 2 weeks old, while all but one of the remaining sutures ripped themselves out over the new two days afterwards. i am planning to have it reworked though, in the new few months i hope, and hopefully it will all go much smoother the second time around… ^_^

  39. i know those pics, that’s me! and yes, brian was very wonderful and professional in all his work. we both knew and understood beforehand how big of a hassle and risk it was going to be to work with my ears, but it was a risk i was more than willing to take, and thus i greenlighted him to use any method or technique he taught would help my chances. given what he had to work with, in my extremely ‘tense’ ears, i’m more than happy with how the right ear turned out. All of that redness and such is gone from it, and it’s fine now. I need to put up newer 4month old pics of it now.. ^_^. as for the left ear, an accident at work, more specifically a 50lb patio table box fell right across that ear and ripped out the majority of the sutures when it was only 2 weeks old, while all but one of the remaining sutures ripped themselves out over the new two days afterwards. i am planning to have it reworked though, in the new few months i hope, and hopefully it will all go much smoother the second time around… ^_^

  40. brian did my ears and are fucking fantastic. My ears were a bit of a challenge but they look hot; all the nerd boys want to play with my vulcan ears haha.

  41. brian did my ears and are fucking fantastic. My ears were a bit of a challenge but they look hot; all the nerd boys want to play with my vulcan ears haha.

  42. brian did my ears and are fucking fantastic. My ears were a bit of a challenge but they look hot; all the nerd boys want to play with my vulcan ears haha.

  43. i got my ears pointed a year and 4 months ago….at first they didnt look so good but now that i have given them good time to heal out they look perfect all the scaring is gone and everything…. i actually made it on mod blog for my pointed ears in april of 07 🙂

  44. i got my ears pointed a year and 4 months ago….at first they didnt look so good but now that i have given them good time to heal out they look perfect all the scaring is gone and everything…. i actually made it on mod blog for my pointed ears in april of 07 🙂

  45. i got my ears pointed a year and 4 months ago….at first they didnt look so good but now that i have given them good time to heal out they look perfect all the scaring is gone and everything…. i actually made it on mod blog for my pointed ears in april of 07 🙂

  46. The importance of context.

    When I first looked at these photos, I thought, wow, what a botched ear point!

    After reading the statements from the artist, eyewitness, and the the owner of said ears, I think, wow, I’m amazed that it turned out as good as it did.

    It is hard to repress snap judgments sometimes, but this will serve as a reminder to me that if pictures don’t downright lie, they can at LEAST mislead one terribly without proper context.

    So yeah, I’d love to see the current pics, and good look with the upcoming rework.

  47. The importance of context.

    When I first looked at these photos, I thought, wow, what a botched ear point!

    After reading the statements from the artist, eyewitness, and the the owner of said ears, I think, wow, I’m amazed that it turned out as good as it did.

    It is hard to repress snap judgments sometimes, but this will serve as a reminder to me that if pictures don’t downright lie, they can at LEAST mislead one terribly without proper context.

    So yeah, I’d love to see the current pics, and good look with the upcoming rework.

  48. The importance of context.

    When I first looked at these photos, I thought, wow, what a botched ear point!

    After reading the statements from the artist, eyewitness, and the the owner of said ears, I think, wow, I’m amazed that it turned out as good as it did.

    It is hard to repress snap judgments sometimes, but this will serve as a reminder to me that if pictures don’t downright lie, they can at LEAST mislead one terribly without proper context.

    So yeah, I’d love to see the current pics, and good look with the upcoming rework.

  49. That is almost PRECISELY what happened to my ears- I want to send a story in to BME about it, as I am having my ears surgically pointed for a SECOND time very soon, and am wondering if anyone else has undergone the same thing?

  50. That is almost PRECISELY what happened to my ears- I want to send a story in to BME about it, as I am having my ears surgically pointed for a SECOND time very soon, and am wondering if anyone else has undergone the same thing?

  51. That is almost PRECISELY what happened to my ears- I want to send a story in to BME about it, as I am having my ears surgically pointed for a SECOND time very soon, and am wondering if anyone else has undergone the same thing?

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